Dragons & Dungeons
by voldybadass
Summary: If at least he had things his way. [AU]


Well, this is a present to Ariane my bby, who I got in our Unholy Square Secret Festa Julina because yes hahahahha. She asked for Rowena Ravenclaw muggle, Tom Riddle Senior wizard, and dragons. Now, what came out is a really crazy AU crossover with Lord of The Rings. I am sorry. I am also sorry because I couldn't elaborate more the romance there, it ended before the nice part with the dragon battle and the happy ever after kiss. One day I might end this, because I have some cool ideas. But yeah. Ily Ari.

* * *

He was a monster, there was no doubt. He was twenty feet tall, and as large as the Larahall river, his skin was deep red, and his eyes the colour of gold; he had a large mouth, with teeth so sharp they could rip apart rocks. All of these things, however, weren't the ones for which he was known as a monster.

What made Leroy, the east dragon, the worst creature alive was the fact that, unlike most dragons, he was not thirsty for gold, but for young maidens. Therefore, he kidnapped and subsequently murdered them, so they would stay forever with him.

The dragon had a typo: the girls had to be stunningly beautiful, unmarried, and kind. Those traces, of course, only made his crimes all the more cruel. After all, how could one kill such ladies that were nothing but loved by everyone they met?

Many had tried to take the creature down, but no one had lived long enough to succeed. But that didn't stop Tom, the Yellow Wizard, to attempt the same. He had traced Leroy down to the nearby of a small village called Hogsmeade. The wizard knew fair certainly who was going to be the next victim of the dragon – a young girl that went by the name of Rowena Ravencalw.

The lady was the youngest daughter of the wealthiest Lord of Hogsmeade, someone named Arthur Ravenclaw. Tom had not yet had the opportunity to meet said maiden, however, her beauty and kindness were well known through the village. Rumour had it she was also brilliant. The perfect victim to Leroy.

The wizard rented a room in a little place called Hogwarts Inn. He didn't intend to stay there for too long, only enough to talk to Lord Ravenclaw and warn him of the oncoming danger. He would send Lady Ravenclaw out of the village in secret, and would wait for Leroy – which would come, without doubt.

As Tom unpacked some of his luggages, he received an unexpected guest on his window – nothing less than an eagle! It brought a piece of paper attached to one of its legs. The man could not stop a laugh to escape from his lips, for that was a very strange way of communication, to say the least.

_Please come see me at once, if convenient. _

_I live on the Castle situated on the North – the only one that exists, you can not miss it._

_ Honorable Lord Arthur Ravenclaw_

To say the message startled the wizard would be an understatement. However, he came to the conclusion that the other must have realized the danger his family was in, and finding out Tom was in town, decided to summon as much help as he dared.

The wizard got up immediately, leaving his packages on the bed. He would meet the Honourable Lord Arthur Ravenclaw as soon as he could. Tom asked for directions to the innkeeper, but such proved to be unnecessary, for the Castle was easily seen from any point of the Village. It was a gigantic rock construction, with towers higher than the trees that surrounded the building and wide ornamented windows.

The man must have taken but fifteen minutes by foot to reach the Castle and its entrance door – a massive wood piece with drawings of birds on it. As he approached, a man wearing a blue robe with a sword on his side came out.

"Who comes there?" he shouted, since Tom was a good distance away from him.

"They call me Tom, the Yellow Wizard, sir. I came here by request of Lord Ravenclaw!" He replied, now close enough to the other, showing the piece of paper the eagle brought him earlier. That seemed to take effect, for the face of the guard immediately warmed up with a smile.

"Pardon me, my lord. Of course, I was warned of your coming, but these are dangerous times, dangerous! A man is never too cautios. Please, do come in." He invited, passing out of the way so Tom walked first inside the Castle.

It was surprisingly hot inside, with the sun shinning through the glasses on the windows and reflecting thousands of colours on the walls.

"What is your given name, sir?" Tom asked when he sensed the guard approach him.

"My name is Feliks, sir. Feliks Riddle." The other presented himself, the smile still on his face.

"That's a very interesting name." Tom commented, looking at the other surprised. Feliks started walking slowly.

"Indeed it is. I guess it goes right with my own history, thought, since it is also very interesting. Oh, but we have no time for that," Tom opened his mouth to protest, but the guard raised a hand to stop the man. "No, it's true. The La– Lord Ravenclaw awaits. He is very anxious to meet you. Please, do follow me."

And so Tom did, for what seemed an infinitude of corridors bathed by the rainbow light that entered from the windows. He saw plenty paintings on his way, some very bizarre and others of undeniable beauty – one even portrayed a young girl, with black thick hair that cascaded on waves until her lower back; she had eyes the colour of the Arendel River and lips the colour of strawberry. The wizard thought the painter had been way too generous, for no living creature could ever be so beautiful.

Or so he supposed, until Feliks opened a door on the end of the corridor and pushed Tom slightly inside a circular room, with nothing but a few flags with a blazon on it (bronze eagle in a blue background), those which hung from the ceiling where a huge skylight illuminated the room. Inside, there a girl stood, her hands on her back. It was the lady from the painting.

Taken aback, Tom didn't know how to proceed. He doubted that was the Honourable Lord Ravenclaw. When he finally came to himself, he turned to inquire Feliks where his patron was, but the man had left the room.

"I see you're surprised, my lord. I am very sorry, but I had to use my father's title to bribe you to come." The girl said. Tom blinked slowly.

"Lady Ravenclaw, I assume," She nodded. "It's an honour." Tom continued, bowing slightly. She repeated the movements, only more gracefully.

"I would say 'take a seat', however there is none." Rowena Ravenclaw said, smiling small.

"Not that it is a problem. To me, at least." The man took his wand out of his robes and conjured two armchairs. He heard how the girl hold her breath in astonishment, but said no more. He offered one of the sits to her.

"Why is that my presence was so important to you, that you felt the need to use your father's name?" Tom said straightforward, joining his hands in front of him. Rowena lick her lips before answering.

"I have faith you are aware of the dragon that has been hunting on the proximities recently," She started, looking at Tom calmly. He nodded. "Well, sir, I received word that you're a brave and powerful wizard, so I am here to require your help to bring this beast down."

The room suddenly grew quiet, the very air seeming to stop itself. It was possible to hear someone humming a happy song nearby.

"Pardon me, but you want to..." Tom cleaned his throat loudly. "Kill the dragon?"

"Yes," The girl replied unhesitatingly. "With your help, of course." Rowena added as an after thought.

Tom coughed to hide a laugh that persisted on escape, despise his best efforts.

"Lady Ravencl-"

"Oh, don't give me this tone! It's the same my parents use when they try to convince me out of one of my ideas." Rowena interrupted the man, getting up and passing the room impatiently. "Yes, sir, I know said dragon is a very dangerous creature; I know it hunts young maidens such as myself; I know I might be the next target. As you can see, I am already informed of it all. And still," She finally stopped on front of the man, her chest moving rapidly. "Still I wish to stop the beast, to stop the murders. I want all lifes safe, and I want all deaths revenged."

Tom thought that Leroy would indeed come for that girl, because he had never seen anything more beautiful that she at that moment.

He shook his head slightly to clear his thoughts. He needed to focus. The wizard had come to that village with the sole purpose of saving Lady Ravenclaw and, if lucky, capturing the dragon. Now, the same lady that needed protection was proposing a dragon hunt. Tom was torn between shaking Rowena until the sense came back to her, and finding that the most brilliant idea he had heard in 127 years (no idea would ever be better than the one to use cocoa to create a candy).

Tom tapped his fingers on the armchair, thinking. Rowena watched him with big, hopeful eyes.

"May Gandalf help us, I accept. We shall destroy Leroy, the east dragon together," He said at least, rubbing his eyes tiredly. The girl started jumping happily. She opened her mouth, but Tom silenced her with a finger. "However, I have some rules."

"You said you accepted!" Rowena protested, her hands on her hips while she looked Tom as if he had just betrayed her.

"I said I accepted, never did I mention there would be no rules," The man replied, a smile threatening to open on his lips. "Here they go: you will do whatever I say when I say – which includes leave me behind and run for your life if I order you to –; you will tell your family about all the steps on our plan; and lastly, you will have to learn to use a sword because Gandalf damns me if I am going to let you face a dragon unprotected!" The man enumerated on his fingers. Rowena's laugh echoed through the walls.

"Well, the last rule is within my capacities, for I already know how to use a sword, sir." She confided, which made the wizard raise an eyebrow.

"That's... Good. Then, one thing less I need to worry about. Now, promise me you shall follow my rules."

Rowena looked at Tom between narrowed eyes. Neither of them blinked. To the wizard, those were very serious rules. It was only by accepting them that he would be able to work without feeling like he might be doing something deadly wrong.

"I can promise," Rowena started, biting her lip. "To follow two of those three."

The wizard passed a hand through his hair, shaking his head.

"This cannot be! I need you to-"

"Two is as good as three! And now we just need a plan," Rowena said, sitting back on her armchair, a smile on her face. Tom made to talk, but the girl was faster. "Speaking of which, I already have one, so you need not to worry."

Tom growled, burying his face on his hands. That would be a long, long experience.


End file.
